文化 | Hello China 英文版《你好中国》（27-28）

《你好，中国》选取了100个代表中国传统文化精髓的汉语词汇，从不同侧面反映中国文化的博大精深，加深国外民众对中国和中华文化的了解。

27 Tai chi chuan：Internal Chinese martial art  

Taiji, Wade-Giles romanization t’ai chi (Chinese: “Great Ultimate”), in Chinese philosophy, the ultimate source and motive force behind all reality. In the Book of Changes (Yijing), the ancient philosophical text in which the concept is first mentioned, taiji is the source and union of the two primary aspects of the cosmos, yang (active) and yin (passive). The neo-Confucian philosophers of the Song dynasty (960–1279 CE) associated taiji with li (“principle”), the coherent structure of the changing world. Li engenders qi (life force; literally, “vital breath”), which is transformed through the yang and yin modes of development into the Five Phases (wuxing)—wood, earth, fire, metal, and water—which explain change and persistence in the cosmos.

Taiji is an ancient Chinese philosophy about the natural world and is one of the central elements of traditional Chinese culture.

The word Taiji itself refers to the “great primal beginning” of all that exists, and is often translated as the ‘Supreme Ultimate’. It is the state of absolute and infinite potential, the oneness before the duality. This concept is comparable to the initial state of the universe right at the moment of the big bang, or the initial singularity. From this state, Yin and Yang were generated.

The Taiji philosophy holds that all natural phenomena have two aspects – Yin and Yang. They are the opposite yet complementary forces which form the two primary aspects of the universe. Yin and Yang are interdependent and they cannot exist independent of one another. If there is no light, one cannot talk about darkness. Without stillness, there cannot be the concept of motion.

Furthermore, Yin and Yang are never absolute, as reflected in the Yin / Yang symbol. Within the dark there is the seed of light, and within the white, one finds the essence of black. Both arise from and exist within the oneness and infinite potential of Taiji, constantly alternating and evolving. A deeper introduction to the philosophical aspects of Taiji can be found in the Online Academy student manual.

Practically speaking, Taiji philosophy emphasizes the importance of maintaining balance between Yin and Yang – a perspective which applies to all aspects of our daily lives. Pour 100 hours of your week into work and you will probably achieve success professionally (the Yang), but what will be the potential impact to your health, your relationships and your other responsibilities (the Yin)? Make your choices with full awareness and fully appreciate the results. In viewing life’s decisions and challenges from two different angles, one can become more grounded, optimistic and tolerant of processes and outcomes.

In common usage, people often refer to the martial art Taijiquan (or Tai Chi Chuan) as Taiji (or Tai Chi). While technically inaccurate, this simplification of the term does provide an accessible introduction to the philosophy and terminology. Click herefor more on the martial art Taijiquan (or Tai Chi Chuan)

28 Chinese sword：Jian

Jian(double-edge sword)-劍

Swords (Jian): Straight sword is known as the gentleman of weapons due to its refinement and sophistication. Preferred by the scholar class, it is one of the most common ancient weapons still in practice. Millions of taiji (tai chi) students study this weapon around the world. Generally, it has a straight, flattened-diamond shaped blade that is double edged. It is bilaterally symmetric with a rounded triangular guard and pommel and an intricate sword knot tassel. Straight swords come in varying lengths, but generally they should reach the user's eyebrow when held upright along the arm. 

Note: Due to different manufacturers in China and or shipments: - The weapon measurements maybe slightly vary. 

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